Understanding { OPEN }

[olette]

OOC: Feel free to jump in~ Ollie needs some new friends!

[/center]

Have you ever forgotten something precious, but still hold onto it with all your might? As if the moment you let it go you know it will never come back. As if it's all you have left.

Maybe Olette has forgotten something too.

The Usual Spot was desolate. She remembered how this place was a second home to her. She remembered how the orange couch was always reserved for her, how the cushion was sunken in from years of use by somebody she never met. They took that orange couch from the side of the road, where it laid abandoned and doomed for the trash. They saved it. And now, it was Olette's spot.

She remembered how Pence would capture every moment of their lives. Little pictures of memories, captured on film and tacked to the wall like trophies. Hayner would always complain, certain Seifer would find their spot and that the pictures were a dead giveaway. But Olette and Pence liked them and sometimes she would catch Hayner looking at them demurely, mulling over those memories too. Olette looked at them now and noted how they seemed a little faded around the edges as if time were crumbling them. She peered at her own childish face as she posed with the ocean behind her, hands up and striking the sunset perfectly. She was so different then. She hadn't a care in the world.

She remembered how Hayner would rant on and on about Seifer and his plots for world domination. She remembered passing Pence eye rolls and dubious shrugs, taking none of Hayner's rants seriously.

She remembered.

Everything was different now. The trio hadn't grown apart--no, they were best friends. But the world had shifted somehow. Now Olette was sitting alone among the boxes and Struggle posters. A train rattled by above her head, but the sound was like a past lullaby lulling her into sleep. She was wide awake. She hadn't slept well in two years, suffering from vivid dreams and too-real nightmares. Nightmares of her world being overturned by darkness, dreams of a boy she couldn't recall.

Olette sat back, letting the scratchy orange couch consume her. Summer would be over tomorrow. Tomorrow she had to fuss over her schedule, find a table to sit at with smiling faces, and act as if she knew nothing more than anyone else. That was what she had been doing so much of lately: pretending. Pretending she didn't know about other worlds, keeping the burning questions inside her head, fighting the urge to go deep inside the Mansion and uncover the dying truth herself.

Even after two years, she remembered.

She could recall his face perfectly. She knew his spiky brown hair and those deep oceanic eyes. She knew he held all the answers. But he left to go find his princess, left her alone with all these questions and no answers. He left her desperate to know more.

But all she had was her Usual Spot with pictures hanging on the wall to remind her to be good. Just forget, they whispered. Just forget and everything will be okay.

Yet, all she could do was remember.

[Deleted]

Marluxia had gone from the rather…interesting event at the Mansion to wondering through the town once more. He had tried returning the to the clock town to relax, but the afternoon crowd had come out and had filled up the area with their noise. It was annoying to not have his spot to himself, but he was in no mood to chase the citizens out. Besides he had a reputation to hold up. Despite seeming not to care a one bit about the people here, the Graceful Assassin had managed to make a good impression on the people. They did not question him when he disappeared or appeared at will, they simply accepted the fact that he was a wanderer of the place and had quickly gotten used to seeing the elegant Nobody in various parts of the town.

The Nobody liked the respect he had gained and how easily the townsfolk trusted him, especially after helping with their creature problem a few days back. It made it easy to go where he wanted to look for information and even get information from the more talkative townsfolk. Already, he had learned that he had not been the first black cloaked person to come wandering through. According to an ice cream seller, there used to be three regulars and others dressed like him that came through the area; however, for some reason or another the ice cream maker could only remember bits and pieces of them and not whole details. It made Marluxia wonder who in the Organization used to come here so often and why if it were not for a mission. He could see maybe Deymx coming here simply because it was in his nature to slack off rather than work, but outside of that he couldn’t imagine anyone else slacking off here….not with Xemnas always watching. No one else could get away with it. Hmm...Another mystery to add to Twilight Town that seemed to bring out more questions than answers.

In any case, Marluxia didn’t let his mind linger on these little matters for now. Right now he simply wanted to find a nice quiet place to relax after that rather exhausting task at the Mansion, so he went from the busy streets of the town to the more quieter alley ways, moving along at a leisurely pace as he searched for the perfect spot to rest. He had thought he had found one in a small hide away hidden behind an old sheet that blocked the door way in the gates; however, upon taking his first step in the place, he found it already had occupant, but instead of backing out and walking away, Marluxia paused where he was and observed the person before him.

This girl…he had seen her before, even spoken with her, and tried to make a deal with her; however, they had been separated before the deal was made. While the girl had proven easy to get information from, she had yet to prove her worth to him and yet for whatever reason, she had remained in this town she sought to escape and now she was brought before him again. Was this a sign he should try harder to get her to work with him then or was this something entirely different? Hmmm…the possibilities on why they had met were infinite and a subject the Nobody didn’t bother to contemplate too far. What mattered here was that she was before him once more and how he could use that encounter to his advantage to either gain a useful tool or learn something new. Best get to work then.

The Nobody took a small step in the room as he spoke.

“Olette, how nice to see you again. Hope I’m not intruding by entering here,” Marluxia sad in the nicest way that was possible for someone as empty as him. Perhaps the girl would buy into the fake emotions once more or perhaps she had learned more since their last encounter. Only time would tell. In any case, the Nobody’s subject went from “mild surprised” to "curious" as he spoke his next words.

“I’m surprise you are still here. I thought for sure when we separated last that you had gotten your wish for an exit,” he said remaining “friendly” as he slipped back into the act of being nice for the time being. Need not scare her away or reveal his cards to her just yer. Play nice and perhaps she wouldn’t escape this time and he could actually learn just how useful she was.

[olette]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=style,background-color: #ffCC99; width: 480px; padding: 10px; border-top-right-radius: 60px; -moz-border-radius-bottomleft: 60px; border-bottom-left-radius: 60px; -moz-border-radius-topright: 60px; border-top: 1px dotted #bfbfbf; border-right: 1px dotted #ff9900;] [STYLE=font-family: times new roman; font-size: 40px; letter-spacing: -4px; line-height: 30px; color: ffffff; text-transform: lowercase; padding: 3px; text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px #ff9900; width: 370px;]SUMMER WAS PAINTED ON OUR SKIN[/style] [STYLE=background-color: ff9933; color: ffcc99; text-align: right; width: 340px; letter-spacing: 3px; text-transform: uppercase; font-family: arial narrow; font-size: 10px; margin-top: -35px; border-top: 1px dotted #c1c1c1;]they would die for a kiss[/style] [STYLE=background: url(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v245/Shonic98/Avatars/Olette/Sad.png); width: 100px; height: 100px; -moz-border-radius: 1em 4em 1em 4em; border-radius: 1em 4em 1em 4em; -webkit-border-radius: 1em 4em 1em 4em; border: 4px solid #ff9933; float: right; margin-top: -80px;] [/style] [STYLE=background: url(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v245/Shonic98/Avatars/Olette/Hands.png); width: 70px; height: 70px; border-top-right-radius: 40px; -moz-border-radius-bottomleft: 40px; border-bottom-left-radius: 40px; -moz-border-radius-topright: 40px; border: 4px solid #ff9933; float: left; margin-top: -24px;] [/style] [STYLE=text-transform: lowercase; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 9px; text-align: justify; width: 260px; color: 993300; line-height: 10px; margin-top: -20px; margin-left: 80px;]❝ THERE WILL BE TOMORROW THE SUN WILL LIGHT A SEA OF SORROW TONIGHT IT SET AND TOOK OUR FRIEND IF I COULD DO ONE THING, I'D BRING HIM BACK SNOW WON'T STICK TO THE WEEPING WILLOWS Fall was always left in your eyes just a fleck of yellow light like the sunrise, like the twilight ❞[/style] [STYLE= background-color: ff9933; font-family: verdana; font-size: 9px; border-top: 3px solid #cc6600; border-bottom: 3px solid #cc6600; color: 993300; text-align: justify; padding: 10px; border-top-right-radius: 30px; -moz-border-bottom-left-radius: 30px; border-bottom-left-radius: 30px; -moz-border-top-right-radius: 30px;] Olette was so deep in thought that the voice filtering into the room startled her. She jumped slightly in her seat, her eyes wild as they landed squarely on Marluxia. Her heart tugged at the sight of him. She remembered him so well and the fear she had. Outwardly, there was no reason to be scared. Marluxia acted nice enough--his facade was almost perfect. But Olette knew now that almost wasn't enough and that the best advice came from her heart. And her heart, though naive and confused at times, told her simply: run away. "Marluxia," she whispered and her eyes widened a fraction, revealing how afraid she truly was. She still remembered that cloak. It was worn by the man with fiery hair and teardrops forever painted on his face. She could never forget him, not after he stole Kairi from them and spun her whole world undone. He set off a chain of events that could never be taken back. She was wiser now. She was smarter. But she was still terrified. "I only know about other worlds from Sora," Olette admitted quickly. She was stunned the words slid so easily from her mouth. "I haven't been to them yet. But I will." That was a promise she made long ago while twirling the yellow orb Sora gave her from the Struggle Trophy. That night she held the jewel in her sweaty palms and wished that she would get the chance to go to other worlds. See them with her own eyes. Feel the kiss of a sunrise on her back. See what a moon looked like with a sprinkle of stars as the backdrop. She wanted to know what was beyond the twilight. "Why did you come back here?" She asked, her voice tight. She didn't trust him anymore. No, something had changed her. Her jade eyes told that much. But what could have changed her so dramatically that the romance fanatic didn't believe in happily ever afters anymore?[/style] [STYLE= arial narrow; text-align: right; color: f6f6f6; font-size: 20px; letter-spacing: -2px; text-transform: lowercase; text-shadow: 0px 0px 2px #ff9900; margin-top: -30px; font-style: italic;]WEEPING WILLOW, THE HUSH SOUND[/style] [STYLE=color: 993300; font-family: georgia; font-size: 10px; letter-spacing: -1px; text-align: right;]TAG ⋆ Marly~ NOTES ⋆ gah, so short. T__T CREDITS ⋆ rayah! of btn[/style]

[Deleted]

[cs=2][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 440px, bTable][STYLE= background: #000000; height: 205px; width: 205px; padding: 10px; margin-left: 1.5px; margin-bottom: -12em; border: 5px solid #000000; border-radius: 30px 30px 0px 0px;] [/style][STYLE= font-weight: bolder; font-size: 28pt; font-family: garamond; text-align: justify; margin-left: 240px; letter-spacing: -4px; text-shadow: -1px -1px yellow, 0.7px 0.7px #333; border-bottom: 5px solid #000000; width: 200px; text-transform: lowercase; margin-bottom: 30px; color: #000; line-height: 24px;]WHY.. AM I HERE? WHAT... PURPOSE? JUST... WHATEVER...[/style]

[cs=2][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 440px; background-color: #000000; border: 5px solid #000000; border-radius: 10px, bTable]

[atrb=style, background: #111111; border: 5px solid #99983E; border-radius: 10px; opacity: 0.8;][style=font: 7pt arial; line-height: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px; padding: 7px; text-align: justify; color: #ABABAB; width: 400px;]The Heartless was wandering the Darkness as he smelled the Darkness. The presence of a Nobody was there, nearby. Where am I now? Moving through the Darkness, he found that his Corridor had led him to Twilight Town. It was the castle he had been to before, perhaps an interesting place to visit? He ripped open a way to one of the back alleys and stepped out of the Corridors as he looked around. It took him some time to find the presence of the Nobody, but noticed there was a Somebody very near to it. Hmm... Not too far away, the Heartless set his feet in motion as he concentrated more on the person nearby the Nobody as it was easier to sense them. The presence wasn't that of a Dark-natured person, so he wondered what their connection was. I've traveled through an entire castle to find leads, he thought annoyed to himself, perhaps by questioning a real life one it would go faster. He then came to a cloth that led to some place, the Nobody was right there. He heard a young girl's voice question why someone had come back as he moved closer and came also inside. Now right behind the Nobody, he spoke up: "truly, you people are even bothering children?" The question was aimed at letting the two know he was now also present. He didn't say any more than that as he looked around the place he had just entered. There seemed to be many pictures, memories... Looking over the place, it seemed really the hang-out of some group of kids. He pulled his face up in irritation before turning back to Marluxia, some just are more lucky with their lives... [/style]

[tr][td][style=padding: 5px; background-color: #111111; text-align: center; color: #ABABAB; font-family: georgia; font-size: 10px; margin-top: 2px; line-height: 10px; border: 5px solid #99983E; border-radius: 10px; opacity: 0.7;]WORDS ;; 305 || TAGGED ;; Olette, Marluxia || NOTE ;; As if a Nobody wasn't enough, you now have a Heartless to deal with as well, Olette. xD;; [/style][style=width: 400px; margin-top: 5px; margin-right: 30px; text-align: center; font-size: 9px; opacity: 0.5; color: #757575]made by prism of, btn, sgo, and ls~[/style][/td][/tr]
[/table][/center]

[Deleted]

The child jumped at his words lost in her thoughts, but her eyes soon landed on him. At first it was a simple startled gaze that slowly developed into one of recognition and fear as she said his name. Oh? What was this? She was afraid now? What happened to the trusting girl he had met some time ago? Who had filled her in on the blanks? Who had put a knot in his plans and made the girl more difficult to mold than before? The Nobody’s empty eyes watched her carefully as he tried to piece the pieces together. As he spoke of exits, the girl responded as easily as always, but her last set of words were said with finality. The change made him curious.

“Oh did Sora tell you about the other worlds then? Or perhaps it is he that drives you to want to leave, hmm?” he asked curious just how far he could get with questions, his false kindness was still there, but only slightly as he slipped back into himself a bit. He had no doubt, the girl had pieced something together to become fearful of him. Still, he wondered why she was scared of him. It wasn’t as if he was going to hurt her. No, no. There was no need for that. Not yet at least.

In any case, the tone of her question was the end of pretend for him. A last straw as he knew his earlier tactics would not work. Good, he was getting tired of playing games. Much better to be straight forward. In response to her words, he smirked coldly.

“Well, well, well. Such a change, but I wonder what I ever did to you to make you become so on edge around me, Olette. I was only offering you a way out the last time we met. Nothing more nothing less. You are the one that ran away from the way out,” he said his tones monotone instead of laced with fake emotions, his empty nature finally revealed. After he had spoken, he made a light shrug at the girl as if the deal had been nothing more than a friendly offer before he took another step into the room, staying cautious of the girl and her actions, their ground uneven now that she no longer trusted him.

In any case, despite the tension, he would answer her question easily enough his smirk fading as a irritated look replaced it.

“I didn’t think I needed permission to walk about where I wanted to,” he responded coldly as flash of anger went through him briefly at the very nerve of her questioning him. He wasn't use to such behavior, let alone these new emotions. So it took a moment to push the annoying emotion away and gained his composure once more. Once gained again, the icy edge left his voice as he continued. "I just wanted a quiet place, but instead have found everywhere occupied. At least you are a bit more bearable than a crowd,” he said with a dismissive wave, being honest with her, no longer caring how this impacted the girl. If she wanted to be his enemy then that was fine. Unlike Sora, he could find a easier way to be rid of her; however, if she decided to turn the attitude around and become a bit nicer, he might be able to cooperate with her, but as it stood now.... The girl had messed up with being tense around him, posing herself as a problem switching Marluxia’s job from becoming a potential ally to becoming a potential enemy. While the situation was bad, she could fix it the problem if it she was smart about; however, before Marluxia could see what the girl would do to either fix or worsen the situation, he sensed a presence that put him in an even more foul mood than before. While the Nobody had difficulty tracing the presence of Somebodies there was one other presence he could pick up on almost as well as a Nobodies. Heartless.

He could find and track the beasts thanks to their smell and dark presence, so when the familiar stench and presence whiffed into the area, he knew the Heartless was near even before it entered the area with him and Olette; however, what he did not expect was for this Heartless to speak or when he turned to face the speaker to find a person there.

A filthy person that matched the unpleasant stench of darkness that clung to its type. Repulsive and agitating and worth killing, but despite how much the Nobody wanted to strike the human like Heartless down, the pink haired man did not. Instead, he took a step back to put distance between himself and the strange creature, retreating a bit into the room from the dirty creature.

The Nobody did not hide his dislike of the creature. His words were cold, calm, and dangerous as he responded to its comment.

“I do not believe you have the right to judge with I do, Heartless. Why have you come here?” the Nobody demanded, keeping a careful eye on the man. While he had nothing to worry about he was very aware of Olette in the room. Unlike him, she had a Heart. Was the Heartless here for her then?

Well if it was, it wouldn’t be getting her. Like all that existed in this town, the girl belonged to him, so if this Heartless wanted her Heart, he’d have to get through him first. Still, the Nobody did not want to start a fight if one was not necessary. While logic still reigned and the Nobody remained calm and emotionless on the outside, he was still on edge, even more so now that a Heartless was here.

If Olette wasn’t here maybe things wouldn’t be so bad, but the Nobody had already been placed in foul mood by the girl, so his tolerance for games were low. He would lash out if anyone made the wrong move……

[olette]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=style,background-color: #ffCC99; width: 480px; padding: 10px; border-top-right-radius: 60px; -moz-border-radius-bottomleft: 60px; border-bottom-left-radius: 60px; -moz-border-radius-topright: 60px; border-top: 1px dotted #bfbfbf; border-right: 1px dotted #ff9900;] [STYLE=font-family: times new roman; font-size: 40px; letter-spacing: -4px; line-height: 30px; color: ffffff; text-transform: lowercase; padding: 3px; text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px #ff9900; width: 370px;]SUMMER WAS PAINTED ON OUR SKIN[/style] [STYLE=background-color: ff9933; color: ffcc99; text-align: right; width: 340px; letter-spacing: 3px; text-transform: uppercase; font-family: arial narrow; font-size: 10px; margin-top: -35px; border-top: 1px dotted #c1c1c1;]they would die for a kiss[/style] [STYLE=background: url(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v245/Shonic98/Avatars/Olette/Sad.png); width: 100px; height: 100px; -moz-border-radius: 1em 4em 1em 4em; border-radius: 1em 4em 1em 4em; -webkit-border-radius: 1em 4em 1em 4em; border: 4px solid #ff9933; float: right; margin-top: -80px;] [/style] [STYLE=background: url(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v245/Shonic98/Avatars/Olette/Hands.png); width: 70px; height: 70px; border-top-right-radius: 40px; -moz-border-radius-bottomleft: 40px; border-bottom-left-radius: 40px; -moz-border-radius-topright: 40px; border: 4px solid #ff9933; float: left; margin-top: -24px;] [/style] [STYLE=text-transform: lowercase; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 9px; text-align: justify; width: 260px; color: 993300; line-height: 10px; margin-top: -20px; margin-left: 80px;]❝ THERE WILL BE TOMORROW THE SUN WILL LIGHT A SEA OF SORROW TONIGHT IT SET AND TOOK OUR FRIEND IF I COULD DO ONE THING, I'D BRING HIM BACK SNOW WON'T STICK TO THE WEEPING WILLOWS Fall was always left in your eyes just a fleck of yellow light like the sunrise, like the twilight ❞[/style] [STYLE= background-color: ff9933; font-family: verdana; font-size: 9px; border-top: 3px solid #cc6600; border-bottom: 3px solid #cc6600; color: 993300; text-align: justify; padding: 10px; border-top-right-radius: 30px; -moz-border-bottom-left-radius: 30px; border-bottom-left-radius: 30px; -moz-border-top-right-radius: 30px;] Olette was stung a little by his question. Did she want to leave because of Sora? To track him down and ask all the questions she'd been dying to answer? No. She had given up on that idea. If Sora wasn't going to get her out, then someone else would. Even if that meant closing her eyes to the obvious wickedness that was Marluxia. When he finally dropped his facade the room felt lonelier somehow. It felt empty. The change in his attitude was so dramatic that it jarred Olette a little--he was nothing more than words and a cloak and little else. She found herself looking at his face as pale emotions flickered across it. But something felt wrong about them. Like the emotions were insincere. She might have lost Marluxia's trust now. She stood up from the couch and shook her head, her eyes pleading. "It's not you," she said tonelessly. "The man with the red hair that wore the same cloak as you do... he's the one I fear. And it makes me wonder how you're connected. That's all. I'm curious," she added flippantly. She could act too. She smiled at Marluxia shyly as if, oh, they were the best of friends. She still didn't trust him as far as she could throw him. Then, suddenly, someone else came into the room. It was person, ragged and filthy looking, lost and confused in a way. Olette watched the exchange between Marluxia and the "Heartless" with anxious intensity. Something in her heart was fluttering at high speed, screaming for her to run. But this time she stayed with her eyes wide open. You people? Heartless? What's going on? She noted Marluxia's tense stance and wondered what was wrong. She was always asking. "A Heartless? What's that?" She persisted, edging closer toward the creature in question. She held out a hand as if to offer it to him for a shake. As if he was just another person she met on the street. She didn't know any better. "I'm Olette."[/style] [STYLE= arial narrow; text-align: right; color: f6f6f6; font-size: 20px; letter-spacing: -2px; text-transform: lowercase; text-shadow: 0px 0px 2px #ff9900; margin-top: -30px; font-style: italic;]WEEPING WILLOW, THE HUSH SOUND[/style] [STYLE=color: 993300; font-family: georgia; font-size: 10px; letter-spacing: -1px; text-align: right;]TAG ⋆ whatever, marly. NOTES ⋆ yay! now we can have a party~. CREDITS ⋆ rayah! of btn[/style]

[Deleted]

[cs=2][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 440px, bTable][STYLE= background: #000000; height: 205px; width: 205px; padding: 10px; margin-left: 1.5px; margin-bottom: -12em; border: 5px solid #000000; border-radius: 30px 30px 0px 0px;] [/style][STYLE= font-weight: bolder; font-size: 28pt; font-family: garamond; text-align: justify; margin-left: 240px; letter-spacing: -4px; text-shadow: -1px -1px yellow, 0.7px 0.7px #333; border-bottom: 5px solid #000000; width: 200px; text-transform: lowercase; margin-bottom: 30px; color: #000; line-height: 24px;]WHY.. AM I HERE? WHAT... PURPOSE? JUST... WHATEVER...[/style]

[cs=2][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 440px; background-color: #000000; border: 5px solid #000000; border-radius: 10px, bTable]

[atrb=style, background: #111111; border: 5px solid #99983E; border-radius: 10px; opacity: 0.8;][style=font: 7pt arial; line-height: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px; padding: 7px; text-align: justify; color: #ABABAB; width: 400px;]The Heartless noted the Nobody distancing himself, a big grin appeared on his face as he found it very amusing to watch the Nobody back away from him. While he didn't like the Nobodies, he truly enjoyed it when he was bothering them. Still, if it wasn't for the girl present, he would most likely have let his emotions go and strike the Nobody the moment he had entered. The Nobody responded cold to his question, he figured the Nobody had seen others at work... Then again, the Heartless are crawling everywhere... but that woman using... he then became rather confused in his thoughts, but the confusion was all over his face and he shook his head, "well, I sensed the presence of you here and was wondering. That is all. I still have little of an understanding of you Nobodies," he was completely honest with the question. He smiled again and then turned his head a bit towards Olette, which had started a question of her own. "Ah, so you don't know much of Heartless and Nobodies, do you?" He watched the girl come over, holding out a hand. He looked at his own dirty hand for a moment, then shook her hand, "you can call me whatever you like. I don't have a name," he answered with a smile. He returned to the previous question as he thought whether the Nobody was keeping this a secret from the girl and then pointed at Marluxia: "what you see there, is called a Nobody. It's like... a race... where you... err..." he wasn't even sure what to say now, "well, there are different kinds of people. Like ogres, humans, and other kinds of races? Nobodies are people without a heart. I'm a Heartless, a race..." He kept trailing off, "I'm no good at explaining this, come on, you explain it to her!" He directed this command to Marluxia all of a sudden, having turned back to him. [/style]

[tr][td][style=padding: 5px; background-color: #111111; text-align: center; color: #ABABAB; font-family: georgia; font-size: 10px; margin-top: 2px; line-height: 10px; border: 5px solid #99983E; border-radius: 10px; opacity: 0.7;]WORDS ;; 347 || TAGGED ;; Olette, Marluxia || NOTE ;; "Whatever" is trying his best to be chatty, which he's not good at. [/style][style=width: 400px; margin-top: 5px; margin-right: 30px; text-align: center; font-size: 9px; opacity: 0.5; color: #757575]made by prism of, btn, sgo, and ls~[/style][/td][/tr]
[/table][/center]

[rhyme]

[ I hope you don't mind me dropping in. ]

Rhyme woke up. Well, she woke up, but she still had her eyes closed. Something told her that she wasn't back in her bed on the streets of Tokyo. She was lying down on cold concrete, and she could hear the sounds of people talking in the distance. So, unless Beat let people that she didn't know inside their house, she was definitely not back in home on her comfortable, soft bed. She could guess that much, but it was the kind of deduction an elementary school child could make. But strangely, she didn't feel any kind of fear or discomfort (well, physically, she was rather uncomfortable). It felt as though this kind of thing already happened to her once. Rhyme told herself to stay calm and try not to be surprised when she opened her eyes.

So, she opened her eyes.

Immediately after, the bright light of the day temporarily blinded her, and she instinctively covered her eyes with her hand, leaning on her right elbow as she got up. After her sight came back to her, she groggily got up and surveyed her surroundings. Her feet was on a slight slant, her toes facing upwards, telling her that she was on some sort of hill. Looking around, she could see nothing but tall houses surrounding her, the smaller houses covered in the shadow of the larger houses. They weren't exactly like the skyscrapers back home, they were more like those suburban houses in villages and towns, just with an extra story or two. Well, thought Rhyme. It looks normal enough... She was surprised that she wasn't as surprised as she thought she would be. It was almost like deja vu, except she was referring to the experience rather than being in the actual place. She felt like she had experienced this before. Which, she concluded, is why I'm not surprised. She began her descent, down the road. As she walked, she checked to see what she had on her. Surprisingly enough, she had four pins attached to her orange sweater. "But I thought the Pins were only for the Game..." she thought aloud now, since there were no people present, although she could still hear the sound of people chatting in the distance. They couldn't hear her from over there, could they? Actually, they might have been able to hear her, since she could hear them.

Wait a second, people! She could ask them for information on where they were. Perhaps, it would help her know how to get home. Maybe she has heard of this place before, and it's near her home. Although, something inside her told her that this place probably wasn't Japan. Still, she decided it was the best course of action, rather than panicking. It was never good to panic. "Well, let's just take this slowly." she whispered to herself. "Slow and steady wins the race." That was her favourite saying. She could apply it to most of her situations. She began to walk faster though, because even though slow and steady won the race, she couldn't help feeling eager to know where she was, and how far away it was from Tokyo.

As she drew nearer, the voices were becoming clearer. From her distance, she could tell that there was one female, perhaps in her late teens, and two other people. Young people, she thought. I wonder if they're cooperative. Lately, kids over at her home weren't exactly 'nice'. She could still remember her first meeting with Neku, who was the perfect definition of 'uncooperative'. His profile picture would be the best thing to put in a picture dictionary beside the word 'spoilsport'. Fortunately, he turned out to be a pretty cool guy, and at their second meeting, he had calmed down considerably. They had even been able to team up. That is, until... She shook herself. Don't remember those things. It was too late. She had already begun to remember the time where she saw that eerie looking fin coming out of a road, and that sudden feeling of great fear for Beat's life, and the urge to just go and push him out of the way. Which is what she did, and ultimately cost her her second life. She sighed. It was already over, so there was no point in brooding over it now.

Rhyme hadn't noticed that she had passed the people in conversation, and she could now hear the voices behind her. Whoops. She swiftly turned around and stopped in front of a place that seemed small from the outside. The entrance was blocked away by an old sheet, causing Rhyme to wonder if she would be intruding if she entered. However, against her goodwill and having nothing to lose, she entered anyway.

Inside, she saw the back of a boy, and another man with a girl behind him. One of them being taller than the others, donned in a long black coat, and having surprising pink hair that flowed down to his shoulders. He had a pretty face, but his face was emotionless. It made her wonder if she just stepped into a rather tense exchange, seeing the look of slight fear and surprise on the girl's face. She had long brown hair, and was wearing normal clothes. The boy in front of her was rather dirty. She couldn't describe him in any other way, other than that odd sensation she could feel. Was it coming from the boy? She thought so. Something about the boy seemed so... dark. It gave her chills on her shoulder. Perhaps it wasn't a good idea to have come in here. But, what's done is done, and she had things to do.

"Erm..." she started, trying to get the attention of the three strangers, although she didn't exactly want it. "Sorry for intruding... but could one of you tell me where I am? I guess you could say I'm lost," she said sheepishly, adding a small chuckle. Although, from the way things were looking, the mood wasn't going to lighten up any time soon.

[Deleted]

The Nobody took note that his words about Sora had indeed hurt little Olette. He could see the slight pain in her eyes confirming that it was probably true that she indeed wanted to see Sora and leave to find him. It seemed foolish to go out into danger for one person, but it seemed that everyone connected with that key wielding brat was like this. Why? Now that was the question indeed. He didn’t see the logic in trying to find another if it would put your own life in danger, especially if you were not a fighter, but someone who had been restrained to a world all your life.

He suppose this little reason was why people worked so hard to make sure residence did not know of other worlds to keep them from going on suicidal missions like this child wanted to go on. He didn’t understand those with Hearts or how friendship worked or why the Somebodies had the desire to be near each other. He couldn’t wrap his head around it and while emotions did plague him now, he still did not have a Heart to show him this wisdom, so as confusing as it was the Nobody pushed the strangeness of it all away as he fell back into regular empty self.

The girl seemed to have realized her mistake for she got off the sofa as she looked over at him her eyes meeting his. She was pleading with him maybe asking for forgiveness, but the Nobody thought that was unlikely. No she pleaded with him not leave because he was a way out. He could be cruel and vanish on the spot and deny her the way out. He would’ve done it without hesitation beforehand, but now? No now something told him to stay.

So he didn’t leave allowing him to hear what she had to say. Not him causing the fear, but Axel? Now that was ironic and almost laughable. Of the two of them, Axel, while he may have done some bad things to get his way, was the least of her concerns. He was actually “the good guy” within the Organization. It was laughable that he caused caution and fear in a child. It made the Nobody wonder what he had done. As amusing as the words were, the Nobody’s pleasure did not show up on his face as he listened to the girl’s words and watched her actions.

His coldness towards her vanished slightly as she put on a show her own for him acting, cocky and confident then innocent the next. His smirk returned to his face as he watched her.

“Nice try,” he told her showing that he saw right through her little act, but at least now she had saved herself from his wrath and shifted his positioning towards her back to neutral instead of hostile. Perhaps the conversation would’ve continued on nicely if that filthy Heartless had not come in and ruined things putting the Nobody on edge once more.

While Olette had saved herself, this one was digging itself into a bigger hole. First, it seemed the Heartless enjoyed the fact that Marluxia wanted to be as far away from him as possible, grinning as the Nobody took a step back. Oh how he’d love to slash that smirk right off its face. How dare a Heartless mock him simply because he did not wish to get dirty! Inwardly, Marluxia was smoldering and holding back the urge to be rid of this Heartless, but he was not a fool.

No, he had heard the whispers of human shaped Heartless, higher in rank and intelligent to boot. They wouldn’t go down easily and he didn’t particular want Olette hurt indirectly as a result of a fight. She still had a lot of making up to do, but maybe he could still work her into his plans even if she did work his last nerve at times. Anyway the Heartless was answering his question despite the confused look that suddenly crossed the creature’s face. From what thought, Marluxia could care less. At least he wasn’t smiling anymore.

Curiosity in Nobodies brought the Heartless to this place? What sort of nonsense was this? Nobodies and Heartless didn’t need to understand each other. They hardly got along as it was and if they did get along it was because one was using the other, so what was it that this one was planning that it had decided to come here and why him to him, hmm?

There were plenty of lower ranking Nobodies to study, so why come to him with such nonsense? Why bother the upper ranks? What was he after really?

Suspicious and not liking the Heartless more and more, Marluxia simply gave him a cold stare before responding back with a simple: “Is that so?” before falling silent again. As he did, Olette spoke up asking about Heartless and to his horror, she actually wanted to shake hands with that…that filth. It was one thing to ask questions, but to want to befriend a Heartless let alone touch on as dirty as this one was just pure insanity in Marluxia’s mind and to make matters worse, the Heartless went right along with it! All Marluxia could do as he watched this exchange is close his eyes and shake his head, disapprovingly at this as he tried to push the thought away. The movement was subtle so perhaps no one notice…or if they did not make a big deal out of it.

Anywho, this was no good. No good at all. If Olette was going to try to befriend or be nice to everything that came her way, she would be gone the moment she stepped out of this world. If she was being nice to this human Heartless wait until she saw the monster like ones. What with their innocent and cute behavior at times, they could easily lure the careless into a trap and claim the foolish one’s Heart.. What a waste if she were to be turned into one of the shadows so soon.

In any case after the exchange, the Heartless began to answer her question after saying she could give him whatever name she wished since it did not have a name. Go figure. Anyway, the Heartless was attempting to explain a Nobody to Olette…using him as an example….Okay. Alright. So Marluxia had not planned on revealing such information so soon, but now that the Heartless had let the cat out of the bag, there was no use getting upset about it. He supposed she would’ve found out sooner or later anyway.

Moving along. The Heartless was attempting to explain the difference between Nobodies and Heartless with difficulty and when he could not explain the subject, he asked…no, no, not asked. He commanded Marluxia to explain the subject to her. The nerve of this creature to even think that he could command one such as the Graceful Assassin. He did not bow to Xemnas and he would most certainly would not bow to this shadow of a human. In response, Marluxia folded his arms as the cold smirk returned to his face.

“Oh no. Wouldn’t want to ruin your speech. You were doing quite well in explaining the matter yourself, so I insist you continue,” he said in the politest and sweetest way as possible. It his own version of sarcasm, but the message was pretty clear. The Heartless had dug himself into a hole the moment he mocked Marluxia and had done nothing except push the wrong buttons in the few moments they had been talking. He did not like the creature and he was not about to help the Heartless in no way at all….unless he need assistance in perishing. That he’d be all too happy to help with. In any case, while Marluxia waited to see what would happen, he heard a voice come from behind the Heartless that was in the doorway.

Looking around the dirty man, he spotted a child that seemed even younger than Olette standing there. She had asked a question that was barely heard over all the talking, but he had heard it. He observed the child for a moment with his cold eyes, her dress wear reminding him of the loud one from Traverse Town. Was this the one he had been looking for then? The boy’s drive to escape? Hmm….? Useful?…Maybe.

In any case, the Nobody continued to watch her emotionless for a second longer before he blinked and decided to play nice with her. At least, she wasn’t here to get on his nerves…yet.

“You’re in Twilight Town little one. What else may we help you with?” he said to her in his monotone voice remaining to the point and business like with her. He had no energy to put a show on for her, so he did not. Truth be told this whole ordeal was draining him, but for now he did not let it show. He just hope this little one would not be trouble.

[olette]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=style,background-color: #ffCC99; width: 480px; padding: 10px; border-top-right-radius: 60px; -moz-border-radius-bottomleft: 60px; border-bottom-left-radius: 60px; -moz-border-radius-topright: 60px; border-top: 1px dotted #bfbfbf; border-right: 1px dotted #ff9900;] [STYLE=font-family: times new roman; font-size: 40px; letter-spacing: -4px; line-height: 30px; color: ffffff; text-transform: lowercase; padding: 3px; text-shadow: 1px 1px 1px #ff9900; width: 370px;]SUMMER WAS PAINTED ON OUR SKIN[/style] [STYLE=background-color: ff9933; color: ffcc99; text-align: right; width: 340px; letter-spacing: 3px; text-transform: uppercase; font-family: arial narrow; font-size: 10px; margin-top: -35px; border-top: 1px dotted #c1c1c1;]they would die for a kiss[/style] [STYLE=background: url(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v245/Shonic98/Avatars/Olette/Sad.png); width: 100px; height: 100px; -moz-border-radius: 1em 4em 1em 4em; border-radius: 1em 4em 1em 4em; -webkit-border-radius: 1em 4em 1em 4em; border: 4px solid #ff9933; float: right; margin-top: -80px;] [/style] [STYLE=background: url(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v245/Shonic98/Avatars/Olette/Hands.png); width: 70px; height: 70px; border-top-right-radius: 40px; -moz-border-radius-bottomleft: 40px; border-bottom-left-radius: 40px; -moz-border-radius-topright: 40px; border: 4px solid #ff9933; float: left; margin-top: -24px;] [/style] [STYLE=text-transform: lowercase; font-family: helvetica; font-size: 9px; text-align: justify; width: 260px; color: 993300; line-height: 10px; margin-top: -20px; margin-left: 80px;]❝ THERE WILL BE TOMORROW THE SUN WILL LIGHT A SEA OF SORROW TONIGHT IT SET AND TOOK OUR FRIEND IF I COULD DO ONE THING, I'D BRING HIM BACK SNOW WON'T STICK TO THE WEEPING WILLOWS Fall was always left in your eyes just a fleck of yellow light like the sunrise, like the twilight ❞[/style] [STYLE= background-color: ff9933; font-family: verdana; font-size: 9px; border-top: 3px solid #cc6600; border-bottom: 3px solid #cc6600; color: 993300; text-align: justify; padding: 10px; border-top-right-radius: 30px; -moz-border-bottom-left-radius: 30px; border-bottom-left-radius: 30px; -moz-border-top-right-radius: 30px;]Marluxia wouldn't buy into her act, but then she hadn't bought his either. To her, it presented a problem and not one she could erase with a pencil and rewrite again. She had made the fatal mistake of not trusting him with all her heart, but hearts were fragile and confused things, weren't they? It was a fact not even Olette could comprehend and could very well be her undoing. Olette could only smile shyly at being caught, her hands twisting the hem of her shirt. Olette was more interested in the Heartless's answer, her eyes wide as she drunk the information in. His statement was confusing and stuttered, as if he wasn't sure on how to proceed with his words. Olette found her eyebrows furrowing, as she often did through a particularly hard lecture at school. At the mention of Nobodies having "no heart" she shot a frenzied look at Marluxia. "You have no heart?" She gasped, her hand coming to her mouth in surprise. She had clearly made the connection when the Heartless said "you Nobodies" and his speech now. She took a measured step back, her head slowly shaking. "I don't understand. How can you have no heart?" She looked to the Heartless. "And you're a Heartless. You don't have a heart either." In her world, it didn't make sense. In her world, people had beating hearts and friendly smiles. Everything was so simple and peaceful they had no need for Heartless or Nobodies. Her world was shiny and neat. There were no loose ends here. Twilight Town, she had to learn, was the world of the in-between, where even the darkest of things lingered... but also, the brightest. She was about to ask more questions. Or run. Until, of course, another girl entered the room. She was tiny and looked so fragile that Olette wanted to take her hand and disappear into the streets, where they were safe. Even Olette sensed the danger of hanging around with the heartless. Even she wasn't so naive as to not question the safety of lingering around with those that had no heart. "I'm Olette," she told the girl distractedly. Her eyes flickered between 'Whatever' and Marluxia. "Welcome to Twilight Town." It felt so mechanical to say, like a kick reaction. She couldn't help it. The air was tense and she knew she wasn't making it better, but she couldn't push the swath of fear away from her heart. She didn't understand. [/style] [STYLE= arial narrow; text-align: right; color: f6f6f6; font-size: 20px; letter-spacing: -2px; text-transform: lowercase; text-shadow: 0px 0px 2px #ff9900; margin-top: -30px; font-style: italic;]WEEPING WILLOW, THE HUSH SOUND[/style] [STYLE=color: 993300; font-family: georgia; font-size: 10px; letter-spacing: -1px; text-align: right;]TAG ⋆ marly, whatever, & rhyme. NOTES ⋆ sorry for the lateness, i got my job and have been busy ^^'. CREDITS ⋆ rayah! of btn[/style]

[Deleted]

[cs=2][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 440px, bTable][STYLE= background: #000000; height: 205px; width: 205px; padding: 10px; margin-left: 1.5px; margin-bottom: -12em; border: 5px solid #000000; border-radius: 30px 30px 0px 0px;] [/style][STYLE= font-weight: bolder; font-size: 28pt; font-family: garamond; text-align: justify; margin-left: 240px; letter-spacing: -4px; text-shadow: -1px -1px yellow, 0.7px 0.7px #333; border-bottom: 5px solid #000000; width: 200px; text-transform: lowercase; margin-bottom: 30px; color: #000; line-height: 24px;]WHY.. AM I HERE? WHAT... PURPOSE? JUST... WHATEVER...[/style]

[cs=2][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 440px; background-color: #000000; border: 5px solid #000000; border-radius: 10px, bTable]

[atrb=style, background: #111111; border: 5px solid #99983E; border-radius: 10px; opacity: 0.8;][style=font: 7pt arial; line-height: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px; padding: 7px; text-align: justify; color: #ABABAB; width: 400px;]The Heartless sighed at all this, the Nobody was no fun or help at all. Right, if that doesn't work... He heard the girl ask some more questions and he turned back again as she had said he had no heart. "Well..." He was slightly confused about it himself, "in a sense, in my former life I had a heart, that heart got taken by the Darkness. The Darkness then created a Heartless out of it, and that is me. In essence I'm a 'heart', but cov-" Suddenly he just stopped as he looked at Marluxia, "the names seem to oppose the essence, don't they? You seem to have a body, so the name "Nobody" makes little sense. So I've still got a heart, don't I?" He scratched the back of his head, "now I wonder... if my body became something like you... my heart would be here... Is there a way to bring the pieces together and become a whole person again?" It seemed a curious theory. The sudden appearance of the girl went by the Heartless as he had been deep in thought, he only noticed once he saw everyone was looking behind him. Turning, he noticed her now, "euh... Hello..." It was said in a rather confused and troubled tone. Was there a party planned or something? [/style]

[tr][td][style=padding: 5px; background-color: #111111; text-align: center; color: #ABABAB; font-family: georgia; font-size: 10px; margin-top: 2px; line-height: 10px; border: 5px solid #99983E; border-radius: 10px; opacity: 0.7;]WORDS ;; 239 || TAGGED ;; Olette, Marluxia, Rhyme || NOTE ;; Very short. Could've added some more internal monologue about his thoughts on the Heartless and Nobodies as he's bee trying to learn some things about that. [/style][style=width: 400px; margin-top: 5px; margin-right: 30px; text-align: center; font-size: 9px; opacity: 0.5; color: #757575]made by prism of, btn, sgo, and ls~[/style][/td][/tr]
[/table][/center]

[rhyme]

Rhyme felt as if she were a peasant that had just walked into a king's courtroom and asked for an orange. Everybody stared at her as she entered the room, the atmosphere tense, and some looks colder than others. With that thought, her eyes flickered to the girl, whose eyes did not seem as hostile as the one with the strange pink hair. Although he wasn't showing his emotions, and remained monotonous whilst telling her where she was, she could feel hostile energy coming from him. It was different from the dirty boy, who had barely managed a proper hello. She noted in her mind to be wary of that one. She tensed a bit, keeping her hand gripped firmly on the cloth that was the entrance. She wondered if Pins would work in the real world. But, was this the real world? The man said that this place was Twilight Town. She was probably on an entirely different continent, because she didn't know any place in Japan called Twilight Town. And, there was that small though that kept stinging her over and over, telling her that this wasn't her world. That was... impossible, wasn't it? Only her world, Earth, existed. But then again, she had been caught up in a lot of things, such as the Game, a game you played after you died for a second chance at life. She had experienced death before, and she had also been revived, and was living a second life. So maybe this place wasn't as strange as it could have been.

And then there was problem two. Knowing where you were was one thing, but getting back home was almost an entirely different subject. Her eyes flickered towards the three strangers, showing a bit of caution, but not very afraid of them. Hopefully, she would have something to defend herself with. And by hopefully, she meant that hopefully the Pins would work for her. There were no guarantees, though. She would have to do with basic combat. Which she was not very good at...

Despite the caution of strangers, her first priority would be getting home. Beat would be worried sick.

"Um... do you guys know how far away this place is from Japan..?" she asked a bit sheepishly, smiling a little. She would definitely feel like an idiot if they didn't know what Japan was, and that they were actually on another world. She didn't know why she kept thinking this was another world though. Again, it was kind of like deja vu...

Her question was directed at the girl, as she didn't exactly want to exchange with the other two. One of them was kind of creepy, the other one seemed as though he wouldn't be able to hold up his end of a conversation, and both of them seemed unwilling to talk to her, anyway. She could only count on the girl, who actually seemed normal. Her eyes, again, flickered wearily towards the two males and wondered what kind of conversation the three had been so engaged in before she came. She really felt out of place, and couldn't help but look down. "Of course, if you don't know where Japan is, it's all right, since--" she stopped herself short, her eyes wide when she realized what she was about to say. She was about to follow up with: 'since you guys might be from another world...' Where was all this about different worlds coming up from? Wasn't it impossible for Earth to come into contact with another planet that was capable of supporting life? In any case, she had to cover up what she just said.

"... I mean... yeah, if you don't know where Japan is, I won't blame you." she muttered quietly. Rhyme wasn't exactly the best at lying, being the honest person she was. She also couldn't act, and anyone with sharp eyes for details would have noticed her sudden outburst and then become suspicious of the sentence that she followed up with. "It's in Asia..." What was she saying? If not suspicious, she was making herself look very strange and weird right now. Again, she tried to think of an excuse for her odd behaviour. "Sorry for acting like this, I'm kind of confused right now. Since... since I don't know how to get home." This sentence was sincere. She was confused, but when she was confused, she was usually calm about it and tried to think it through logically. But, it was that same thought about different worlds that was making her panic. Right now wasn't the time to be self-concious of her actions and the others reactions. She was supposed to be gathering information about where she was, and how to get home. She took a deep breath and calmed herself down. She knew more than anyone that if there was one thing you shouldn't do if you were lost, it was panicking.

"Please excuse my rambling," she started again, a bit more confident. "Please forget what I was saying just now. Do any of you know how to get back, or know anything about Shibuya, Tokyo, or Japan?"

[Deleted]

(So sorry for the wait, guys. I didn’t realize it was my turn until Whatever pointed it out. *Bows apologetically* >.<)

This was amusing and agitating all at once. Marluxia had come here to take a rest from all the noise and instead found Olette, which at first he was all too pleased to see. His plan to push her out of her world and into another could go back into action; however, it would seem that the thoughts of Sora, Axel, and perhaps something else had already gotten to the girl effectively turning the girl’s earlier trust into fear and caution. It had put a strain on their working relationship and had almost caused the pink head Nobody to lose his patience with the girl; however, she had found her error and tried to make up for it turning the Nobody’s wrath from her to the second person that had come in—the nameless Heartless.

This one did not sit well with him simply because he knew he was just that, a Heartless and like all Heartless he was quite sure this one had come to sink a Heart into Darkness namely Olette’s. This in turn made the Heartless a threat to the Nobody that had already claimed the town, all its residents and Olette as his whether they liked it or not. While he knew Olette could be his undoing if he wasn’t careful that still did not stop him from wanting to protect his possession from the Heartless. A selfish reaction, but one that worked in Olette’s favor. At least if things were to go sour between the three he would protect her simply because she belonged to him.

In any case, the Heartless had only agitated the Nobody even more by opening it’s big mouth and speaking on the nature of Heartless and Nobodies. As a result of the Heartless’s stumbling about in explaining just exactly what each were and the Graceful Assassin’s refusal to help him out of the hole he had dug himself in, Olette became curious or rather horrified by the what she heard and began to ask question again, seeking to understand what she was hearing. Marluxia had to admit, the concepts were hard to wrap one’s head around especially when everyday logic was applied to the very thing they each were. Those that were living should have a Heart or else they should not be living at all, but somehow Nobodies did. He didn’t claim to know why this was he had simply accepted the facts as they were, but now that the girl was questioning the concepts and the Heartless began attempting to explain the situation once more, Marluxia had to wonder why some were spared from becoming oblivion or mindless creatures. What was it about the Heart that turned out results such as himself and the human like Heartless? Was it a question to be never be answered? He shook his head mentally to clear as he focused on the Heartless that was now speaking to him, asking why they had names if they didn’t really apply and then began asking if there was a way to bring a Heart and shell back together.

The very mention of such an action caused the Nobody to narrow his eyes at the Heartless. The question was simple and a goal that Nobodies typical had, but a Heartless? Why would a Heartless want to be whole again? Wasn’t their purpose simply to consume Hearts and toss them into darkness? Or was that the purpose of the lower ranks? Was being a human Heartless different then? The concepts moved through the Nobody’s head not making sense and causing a slight headache to occur. Sighing, he rubbed his temples as he tried to clear his thoughts and respond to all this one step at a time. First to deal with Olette.

“No I do not have a Heart. I am a shell, the remains of a person that once had a Heart, but no longer. My Heart, wherever it maybe, was strong enough to let me keep my human form and my will allows me to walk amongst the living. Typically when a shell is created, so is a Heartless of some sort which keeps the Heart consumed in the darkness. Some that are strong keep their human form much like this one here,” he said nodding at Whatever. “Don’t try to apply logic to us or are names, it’ll only make your head hurt and spin. Heartless are called what they are because they are never content with the Heart they have. They go about seeking to take others without a care in the world. Nobodies should not exist due to lacking a Heart and so our names are quite fitting for us. It is the definition of what we are. Nothing,” his eyes turned to Whatever his dislike for the creature clear, still this did not stop him from answering the question. “There are some that believe that the Heart could be returned to the body and maybe even for you there is a shell looking for its Heart; however….I would not suggest diving into such things. It only turns out to be a mess in the end.” He finished his last words biting thanks to the memories associated with such a process. Xemnas……he had thought this way once…

Anyway, as much as the subject annoyed him to no end, his annoyance and fury were turned from the pair as the newcomer entered, asking her questions. Each one in the room responded accordingly to her. As he watched her expressionless for a moment, he could sense her fear and wonder if perhaps she would be trouble in the end. Sure was a child, but children had proved to be quite the thorn in the side when underestimated. They were useful thanks to their trust, but very annoying when they disobeyed. As much as he wished the little one was not here, he bared with the add on and waited for her to answer his question. She seemed to be debating something as she sized them up, her eyes immediately going for Olette the most likely to save her if anything should occur. She began asking her question, asking how far Twilight Town was from some place called Japan. Japan? What sort of world was that? Hmmm…

Whatever it was, the child had made the biggest mistake of all. She admitted she was lost and not just any lost, sort of lost, but also far away from whatever Japan was. Bad, bad, bad, especially if anyone in this group had intended harm upon her or perhaps like Marluxia saw her as a potential piece to use on the grand board of schemes….and yet this child was not dumb. She did not trust him or the Heartless. She directed her question at Olette instead. Clever. She thought to avoid interacting with the Heartless and himself then? Hmph! The nerve. If she didn’t want that to happen she should’ve never made her presence known and simply walked past the trio’s talking, but no she was here now and had everyone’s attention and potentially curiosity.

On top of this, she didn’t make the situation any better for herself. No, she kept talking trying to work her way around her mistake, but only making it more apparent. Now she was talking about what was that? Asia? Japan was within Asia? A world within another world. Hmmm….odd, but not impossible. He wondered if Asia was the name of the thing the world was trapped in and Japan the world. He had once heard of storybooks and even computer holding worlds, so would this one fall in the same category? It was hard to say and the little one was not making it easier to understand.

She went on some more before eventually apologizing for her actions and words, stating that she was simply confused. Confused indeed and confusing. The Nobody began to wonder if this Japan nonsense was something the child had made up in her panicked state; however, as she calmed down and started again, Marluxia threw the notion of the world being made up out the window as she had repeated it once more adding more names that didn’t make sense to the him. After she was done the Nobody was quiet for a moment as he weighed his options here.

He already knew the child didn’t trust him and would cling to Olette faster than anyone else. Olette in turned was clinging to him in her own way, so no problem there; however, the Heartless was anything, but trustworthy in the Nobody’s eyes and thus the main problem to work around. Now what he could do is send the two girls to another world provided they took their exit without complaint, and then when they were safe deal with the Heartless on his own. He wouldn’t have to worry about distraction that way as he could always find the girls later. Maybe this was the best option considering what was brewing here, but then again the Heartless could probably follow through a Corridor of his own thus causing Marluxia’s plan to be undone to insure the pair were safe. While he hated to babysit, he couldn’t help, but worry with the Heartless here. Hmm…he needed to get the child away from the door. If only his angel was here. At least she would be able to persuade a child better than he could. He sighed inwardly, deciding to keep the two girls here.

“I am afraid that doesn’t ring a bell with anything I’ve ever heard, little one. Why don’t you come in?” he said his tones a bit gentler as hoped that if the girl did come in she would go directly to Olette. At least this way he would between the two girls and the Heartless instead of the Heartless being between he and Olette and the girl at the door. At least with the girl inside and behind him he could easily push the pair into a Corridor should the Heartless do anything funny. While he told himself that the reasoning behind him going out his way to protect the pair was because they were useful, somewhere in his mind he questioned that logic. Was it really out of selfishness that he was protecting these two….or was there really something else going on here that even he did not understand?